Musée d'Orsay to be named after former president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

French Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin has announced that the name of President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing will be added to the name of the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie. This was already being talked about last December, but now the decision, made in collaboration with Valéry Giscard d’Estaing’s family and the museum’s headquarters, is final: the tradition of paying tribute to the presidents of the Fifth Republic is thus being followed, and Giscard d’Estaing is to be celebrated as the one who gave birth to the great museum institution.

The Ministry’s press note reads, “A man of culture, a passion for 19th-century art and literature, President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing worked with commitment and determination to establish the museum and to follow its development. It was a gesture that combined the preservation of a historic monument with its transformation into a museum.”

Under the presidency of Georges Pompidou, the Orsay station, which was in danger of demolition and transformation into a luxury hotel, was preserved by becoming a historical monument and later a museum. The official decision that led to the start of work on a museum of 19th-century arts was due to the decisive action of President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing in 1977. The Musée d’Orsay first opened its doors to the public in December 1986 during the first term of President of the Republic François Mitterrand. In 2010, the Musée de l’Orangerie was then annexed to the Musée d’Orsay.

The government will soon adopt a decree from the Council of State to make the name change of the major museum institution effective, which will become the “public institution of the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie - Valéry Giscard d’Estaing.”

Ph.Credit Daniel Vorndran

Musée d'Orsay to be named after former president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.